Professional Development

Team Leaders: Barbara Stripling, Bea Baaden

Recommendations

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Goals

Provide access to quality professional development with learning experiences that enhance the unique role of the school librarian and ensure currency of skills especially as they relate to changing electronic resources.


Objectives

• School librarians need access to quality PD to build their own skills
• As instructional leaders, school librarians should develop collaborative relationships with and provide PD to teachers and other staff members
• Understand the requirements for preservice school library media specialists such as the edTPA
• As effective advocates for school libraries, school librarians should develop an active and sustained approach to advocacy within the school and with external partners

Suggested Discussion Items

• The school library system is best situated to provide this type of support. How can PD be provided in different ways to extend our reach.
• Should there be recommendations to require all library media specialists to have at least 2 years teaching experience before entering the profession

Working Outline

School Library Summit 2014 Working Outline of Discussion/ Action Points

Professional Development Working Group

Facilitator: Barbara Stripling

Recorder: Bea Baaden


Goals: Provide access to quality professional development with learning experiences that enhance the unique role of the school librarian and ensure currency of skills especially as they relate to changing electronic resources


Objectives:

• School librarians need access to quality PD to build their own skills
• As instructional leaders, school librarians should provide PD to teachers and other staff members
• Understand the requirements for preservice school librarians (such as the edTPA)

Working Outline:


School librarians need access to quality PD to build their own skills

Essential Questions:

• What are the critical competencies that school librarians need in order to deliver high-quality school library services?
• What are the most effective ways to provide professional development to practicing school librarians?
• What professional development plan would focus on the critical competencies, integrate the opportunities of multiple providers (e.g., NYLA/SSL, NYSED, systems, districts, ALA/AASL, universities, vendors), and provide equitably accessible and sustained development over time?

Focus Questions:

• Technology skills:
  • o Which are critical?
  • o What is the continuing/ enhanced role of School Library Systems?
  • o How do we enhance skills in an era of no money and greater accountability?
• Teaching skills:
  • o What is the necessary content knowledge: “library literacies” (an edTPA term of what preservice school library candidates need to teach to); information fluency; digital citizenship; inquiry?
  • o What are the teaching processes and skills critical for school librarians?
  • o How can we provide mentoring for pre-service school librarians in both content and processes? How can we provide mentoring for practicing school librarians in content and processes?
• Assessment of student learning skills:
  • o How can we take the qualitative process of accessing students that school librarians traditionally use (observation, for example) and quantify it for APPR purposes?
  • o How can school librarians “grade” students to judge/ evaluate student learning?
• How can we use the process student teachers/ school library interns need to go through for edTPA as a learning tool for practicing school librarians? How can we “train” mentors (supervising school librarians) to provide appropriate experiences for edTPA candidates?

As instructional leaders, school librarians should [develop collaborative relationships with] and provide PD to teachers and other staff members



Essential Questions:

• What are the major areas where school librarians should focus the professional development that they deliver to teachers and other staff members (e.g., collaboration)?
• What are the most effective ways for school librarians to develop collaborative relationships with and provide professional development to their teachers?
• What professional development do school librarians need in order to provide high quality professional development to others?
• What state-wide plan would focus on the skills of professional development delivery, integrate the opportunities of multiple providers (e.g., NYLA/SSL, NYSED, systems, districts, ALA/AASL, universities, vendors), and provide equitably accessible and sustained development over time?

Focus Questions:

• What is the role of School Library Systems in preparing school librarians to provide quality PD and how can that role be coordinated across the state?
• How can PD be provided through the School Library Systems in different ways to extend their reach?
• What other vehicles can school librarians use for continuing certification (175 hours every 5 years)?

As effective advocates for school libraries, school librarians should develop an active and sustained approach to advocacy within the school and with external partners



Essential Questions:

• What are effective methods of advocacy with teachers, students, and administrators and how can these constituencies be transformed into advocates for the school library?
• Who are the external partners who must be recipients of targeted advocacy, how can connections to them be developed, and what are the effective methods to turn them into advocates for school libraries (e.g., school board members, district administrators, administrator leadership academies, schools of education, professional organizations for teachers, academic and public librarians, community organizations)?
• What professional development is necessary for school librarians to become effective advocates?
• What are the essential elements of a state-wide advocacy campaign that would empower librarians to be their own advocates and enable other constituencies to both recognize the impact of strong school libraries with certified librarians and become advocates themselves?